The Story of James and Lily Potter
by harrypotterfangirl13
Summary: This story is about James and Lily Potter from the time they started Hogwarts to the time of their deaths.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Lily Evans ran down her street and up the path to her front door. Hands shaking slightly, she pulled her key out of her pocket and let herself in.

"Lily? Petunia? Is that you?" a voice called.

"It's me," Lily called back, walking into the living room with her hands clasped in front of her. Her mother smiled at her from the couch where she was sitting.

"Hello, Lily. Where's your sister? Did you have a good time at the playground?"

Lily swallowed. "I think she's on her way back, but it happened again, Mum."

"What happened?" a deep voice asked from behind Lily. Turning, she saw her father standing in the doorway, looking mildly curious. He walked further in the room, dropping a kiss on Lily's dark red hair as he passed. Lily swallowed again, her throat dry and her heart pounding. Would her parents be angry with her for what she'd done. Her mother had expressly told her not to do it while she and her sister were at the playground. "What happened, Lily?" her father asked gently, his green eyes searching hers.

"We were on the swings," Lily began in a small voice. "And I wanted to go higher. So I let go and I, I flew." She watched her parents with wide, frightened eyes. Lily's mother let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.

"You flew?" her father questioned, eyebrows raised. Lily nodded.

"Tuney got angry. And then I saw a flower and made its petals move and turn different colors. Tuney shouted at me that I was weird and different, so I left." Lily looked down at the ground, ashamed.

Her mother sighed quietly. "How do you do it, Lily?" she asked.

"Do what?" Lily looked up.

"Fly, make flowers turn different colors, and everything else."

"I don't know, Mum. Am I a freak?"

"Of course you're not, dear," her father answered. "You're special. There's nothing wrong with that, it just takes people by surprise."

Before Lily could answer, the door opened and Petunia stalked in.

"Tuney," their mother began, but Petunia had already headed up to her room. Lily's mother sighed. "She'll calm down later."

As Mrs. Evans was heading into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Frowning, she headed for the door and opened it. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked, then faltered when she saw the man on her doorstep.

Lily, who had come up behind her mother, gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

The man standing there was tall and thin. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. He wore a rather flamboyant suit as well. "Good afternoon," he said pleasantly. "I am looking for miss Lily Evans."

"Me?" squeaked Lily.

The man smiled at her. "Ah, so you are Lily. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore." He held his hand out to her. Uncertainly, she took it, eyes wide.

"What do you want with Lily?" demanded Mr. Evans, coming up behind Lily and glaring suspiciously at the man in his doorway.

Calmly, Dumbledore withdrew an envelope from his pocket. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.

Lily gasped. The letter was addressed to her! Without thinking, she reached out and snatched it from Dumbledore's hand.

"Lily!" warned her father, but she ignored him. Turning the envelope over with shaking hands, she saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms, a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.

"What is this?" demanded Mrs. Evans, who was looking over Lily's shoulder.

"May I come in?" asked Dumbledore. Slowly, Mrs. Evans stepped aside, drawing Lily with her, and allowed the stranger to enter the hallway.

"What's this about?" demanded Mr. Evans.

"I have come to offer Lily a place at my school," Professor Dumbledore explained.

"What school? Where is it? Why Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked in a rush.

"It is called Hogwarts, and it is located in Scotland. We believe Lily has the qualities we value in our students."

"What kind of school is it?" pressed Mr. Evans.

"It is a school of magic."

Lily stopped dead. Her mouth fell open, and she thought her eyes would fall out they were so wide. "Magic?" she breathed. "Is that what it is, the things I can do? It's magic?"

"What sort of things?" inquired Dumbledore.

"I can make things fly and turn different colors. When I get angry, strange stuff happens to whoever is bothering me. Once, I ended up on the roof," she finished uncertainly, knowing how odd this all must sound.

Dumbledore smiled gently at her. "Then it is magic, what you can do."

"Magic doesn't exist," snapped Mrs. Evans, putting a protective arm around Lily.

Eyes twinkling over his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore withdrew a thin stick of wood from the pocket of his suit. Lily presumed it was a wand. Raising it, he gave it a flick. A lump of wood appeared in the hall. With another flick of the wand, the wood transformed into a small dog, which barked indignantly and spun around to stare straight at Lily. Lily stared back, too shocked to scream. Mr. and Mrs. Evans seemed to be experiencing the same dilemma. With a final flick of the wand, the dog vanished.

Lily stumbled back and leaned against the wall. "Wow," she breathed. "So magic is actually real."

Suddenly, a door slammed open and Petunia appeared at the top of the stairs, looking as if she was going to demand what all the noise was about. As soon as she spotted Dumbledore, she rushed back into her room, banging the door shut behind her. Lily couldn't help but smile at her sister's reaction.

"So, all this really is magic," muttered Mr. Evans, looking like he couldn't believe what was happening.

Dumbledore nodded.

"We have a witch in the family," murmured Mrs. Evans, her expression mirroring her husbands.

"Please, may I go?" pleaded Lily. "I will learn how to use magic at this Hogwarts, won't I?" she asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, you will. Hogwarts is the best school of magic anywhere. You will meet many other young witches and wizards there as well."

"I could have friends," Lily whispered wonderingly. Her parents expressions softened at the look of awe on their daughter's face.

"Well," Mr. Evans began slowly, "If you really want to go, Lily, and if it will help you, I suppose."

"Thank you!" cried Lily, jumping with excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"If you would like, I can help you find all the supplies you will need," Dumbledore offered.

After exchanging an uncertain look, Mr. and Mrs. Evans nodded. "Thank you," said Mrs. Evans. "This is all so extraordinary. We are very grateful to you." After arranging where and when to meet, Dumbledore gave a smile and a bow, then turned on the spot and disappeared.

For several moments, no one knew what to say. Then Lily let out a shout of delighted laughter. She threw her arms around her mother, then ran to hug her father. He lifted her high in the air, smiling exuberantly as he spun her around in a circle.

"I'm a witch! I'm a witch! I'm a witch!" she shouted as he set her down. Finally, she tore open her letter and pulled out a piece of parchment.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sore., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September first. We await your owl by no later than July thirty-first.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Eyes shining, Lily lowered the letter. She was going to a school for magic. She would learn how to use and control her powers. Maybe, she would even have friends. She was about to enter a whole new world.

Outside a large manor house many miles away, an eleven-year-old boy had just taken an envelope from a brown barn owl. Eyes blazing with excitement, he tore open the envelope and pulled out the enclosed letter. After glancing over it briefly, he let out a shout of delight and ran inside the spacious house. "Mum!" he bellowed, running down the long halls.

"Yes? What is it, James?" A pretty, smiling woman looked up as James rushed into the kitchen.

"Look!" he cried, thrusting the envelope into her hands. "Look, look, look!"

Smiling widely, she examined the letter. "Oh, James, this is wonderful. Your acceptance letter to Hogwarts! Just wait until your father gets home and sees this. We'll have to go to Diagon Alley soon to get your supplies."

James headed for the fireplace in the living room, fully intending to go straight to his father's office and tell him.

"No, James," his mother warned. "You can show him when he gets home."

James sighed impatiently. Then, brightening, he exclaimed, "I'm so glad it finally came! I've been waiting and waiting all summer. Do you think I can bring my broom?"

His mother shook her head indulgently. "First years aren't allowed to bring brooms, dear. Maybe you'll get on the Quidditch team, though," she added to appease him. "And you'll take flying lessons, too. You'll learn all about the different ways to use magic, you're really going to enjoy it."

James nodded, so excited he didn't know what to say or do next. He had heard about Hogwarts all his life, and he wanted to go now!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. It's all J. K. Rowling's!

CHAPTER TWO

"So, where is this Leaky Cauldron place," Mr. Evans asked, staring around in bewilderment.

"It's right there, Dad," Lily answered, pointing at a tiny, grubby-looking pub. "Come on." Grabbing his hand, she tugged him inside the pub. Her mother followed, looking perplexed, and then astonished when they entered the dark, dingy room.

"But," Mr. Evans began, stopping when he spotted Dumbledore, who was talking to the middle-aged bartender. Dumbledore spotted them and nodded in greeting. Approaching, he greeted the three of them, then led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

"Here we are," he said as he counted the bricks in the wall. Finding the appropriate brick, he tapped it three times with his wand and stepped back.

Lily's mouth fell open in amazement as the brick he had touched quivered. In the middle, a small hole appeared and grew wider and wider. A second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. "How?" murmured Lily, then shook her head. She should have learned by now that in the Wizarding world, anything was possible.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling over his half-moon spectacles. They stepped through the archway. Lily looked quickly over her shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.

The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons-All Sizes-Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver-Self-Stirring-Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"We can buy one after we get you some money," said Dumbledore.

"We have money," objected Mr. Evans.

Dumbledore laughed. "I'm talking about Wizarding money, gold and silver. There are seventeen silver Sickles to a gold Galleon and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle."

Lily wished she had several more eyes. She turned her head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once. The stores, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping, they were all so fascinating. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, looking at a list with her small son. A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium-Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of around Lily's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Lily heard one of them say, "the new racing broom, fastest ever." There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Lily had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon.

"This is Gringotts," said Dumbledore. They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was a strange creature Lily had never seen before in her life. "That is a goblin," murmured Dumbledore as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Lily. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them. Enter, stranger, but take heed Of what awaits the sin of greed, For those who take, but do not earn, Must pay most dearly in their turn. So if you seek beneath our floors A treasure that was never yours, Thief you have been warned, beware of finding more than treasure there.

"You would be mad to try to rob this bank," Dumbledore told them. "Hogwarts is the only place that is safer."

A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Dumbledore, Lily, and her parents made for the counter. Once they found a free goblin, Lily's parents exchanged some of their money for gold, silver and bronze coins. Smiling happily, Lily turned a gold Galleon in her fingers. Her parents also opened an account to put some money in for Lily, which delighted her. Finally, they left the bank and emerged back onto Diagon Alley.

"Let's get your uniform," said Mrs. Evans, who had Lily's supply list. They headed toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. "Hogwarts, dear?" she said when Lily entered. "Got the lot here." Madam Malkin stood Lily on a stool in the back of the shop, slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length. When she had finished, Lily hopped off the stool and paid for the robes.

Next, they stopped to buy parchment and quills. Lily got very excited when she found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, Lily spotted a store called Quality Quidditch Supplies. Turning to Dumbledore, she asked, "What's Quidditch?"

"It's the Wizarding sport. Everyone follows it, and it's played up in the air on broomsticks. There are four balls and seven players."

"Oh," murmured Lily, trying to absorb all this information.

They bought Lily's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather, books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk, books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Lily spotted one called _Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More)_ by Professor Vindictus Viridian. She saw another one called Hogwarts, A History, which her parents bought for her along with her other books. After that, they got a cauldron, a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Lily wished she could have gotten the gold cauldron she'd spotted, but it had said pewter on her list. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor. Jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls. Bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Dumbledore asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients, Lily examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes for five Knuts a scoop. Finally, they went to buy Lily's wand, the part she was looking forward to most.

This shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair. Lily felt strange. She swallowed a lot of new questions and reached for her father's hand. As they waited, she looked at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of her neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Lily jumped and spun around. A man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," said Lily uncertainly. "I'm Lily Evans."

The man scrutinized Lily carefully, as if he was trying to remember if he had seen her before. Finally, he smiled and shook her hand. "Hello, Albus," he said, turning to Dumbledore. "Very nice to see you again."

"Hello, Mr. Ollivander. It is good to see you as well," responded Dumbledore.

Turning back to Lily, Mr. Ollivander asked, "Which is your wand arm?"

"Um, I'm right handed," Lily answered, confused.

Nodding, Mr. Ollivander fetched a tape measure with silver markings. "The wand chooses the wizard," he told Lily. "Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Lily from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around her head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss Evans. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another witch or wizard's wand."

Lily swallowed nervously. Magic was turning out to be quite complicated. Mr. Ollivander had begun flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes while the tape measure worked on its own. "That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Miss Evans. Try this one. Holly and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."

Feeling a little awkward, Lily did as she was told. Nothing happened. Her heart plummeted. Did this mean she wasn't actually a witch?

Shaking his head, Mr. Ollivander took the wand back. "It may take a few tries," he reassured Lily. "Let's see about this one. Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite flexible."

As Lily raised the wand, it let out a bang. With a squeak of surprise, Lily stepped back while her parents let out anxious exclamations.

Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand back. "Here." He pushed another wand into her hand. "Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow and unicorn hair. Nice wand for charm work."

She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers. Raising the wand above her head, she brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Her parents clapped and Mr. Ollivander nodded. "Definitely a match. Very good."

After they paid seven gold Galleons for the wand, Mr. Ollivander bowed them out of the shop. As they passed Eeylops Owl Emporium again, Lily asked, "What are owls used for?"

"Sending letters," Dumbledore answered.

"Letters?" queried Lily. He nodded, amused. "Mum, Dad, may I please have an owl?" pleaded Lily.

Mrs. Evans nodded. "It would be wonderful if you could write to us from school."

Entering the shop, Lily looked around. Finally, she spotted a beautiful snowy owl. Pointing to it, she asked, "Could I have this one, please?" Nodding, her parents agreed.

Happily, Lily followed them out of the shop, down the alley and back into the Leaky Cauldron. The sun was beginning to set. Lily couldn't stop smiling. She had all her supplies, and most importantly, she had a wand. Now she was ready to go to school and learn magic!

As Lily was leaving Diagon Alley, James Potter was paying for his own wand. It was made of mahogany and dragon heartstring, was eleven inches long and pliable. Quite powerful, too, and excellent for transfiguration. James ran his fingers over it as he and his parents left the shop. "With this wand, I'm going to be the best at Transfiguration," he boasted. "And I'll be good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. I bet I can get on the Quidditch team, too."

Mr. and Mrs. Potter exchanged amused glances at their son's enthusiasm. "Don't get too confident," laughed Mr. Potter, putting his arm around his son's shoulders. "You've got a lot to learn. I'm sure you'll do well, just don't assume you know everything already."

James nodded impatiently. "I know, Dad. Do you think I'll be in Gryffindor, like you and Mum?"

"I hope so, but if you're not, it isn't the end of the world."

"Just as long as I'm not in Slytherin," muttered James, grimacing. Mr. Potter shot him a warning look, but James just grinned at him.

"Let's get some ice cream before we go," proposed Mr. Potter. James nodded and ran ahead, his heart racing with excitement. This year was going to be incredible!

A/N: Hi, everyone! As you've probably guessed, this is my first fanfic. I'm still figuring out how the web site works, which is why I didn't have any author's notes on the last chapter. Obviously, this story will be about Lily and James from when they started Hogwarts until they died. However, I'm going to make a few changes. I know Snape was in love with Lily, and I'm going to respect that, but in my version, Snape never has the courage to come up to Lily until they start school. During their years at Hogwarts, they will be little more than casual acquaintances. Lily neither likes nor hates Snape, which makes her relationship with James a bit more friendly. I think that part of the reason Lily despised James so much was because he bullied Snape. Since she and Snape are not friends in this fanfic, she won't hate him as much, just think he's an "arrogant git". Who knows, maybe she'll be slightly amused by him. So, please review and tell me what you think!


End file.
